Ionic liquids are salts that are liquid at ambient or near ambient temperatures (i.e., having a melting point, or melting range, below about 100° C.). Ionic liquids have a number of uses that include replacing organic solvents in chemical processes and reactions, extracting organic compounds from aqueous waste streams, and as electrolytes in devices such as capacitors and batteries. This is because, unlike conventional organic solvents, ionic liquids are non-volatile and non-flammable. These properties are advantageous to help reduce losses to evaporation, eliminate volatile organic emissions, and improve safety.
Other properties of ionic liquids have also proved advantageous. For example, many ionic liquids have a broad temperature range at which they remain liquid and also are stable over a broad pH range. This is beneficial for high temperature processes with a demanding pH. Further, some ionic liquid systems can be used as both a solvent and catalyst. For example, [bmim]-Al2Cl7 and [emim]-Al2Cl7 can be employed as a solvent and catalyst in Friedel-Crafts reactions wherein bmim is 1-butyl-3methylimidazolium and emim is 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium.
For the aforementioned reasons, it would be desirable to discover new ionic liquid compounds with advantageous properties. It would further be desirable if such compounds could be made by simple processes with low amounts of waste and impurities.
Advantageously, new ionic liquid compounds have been discovered. The compounds comprise a Lewis acid anion and are made via simple processes that are capable of producing ionic liquids having a high purity.